


You matter to me

by Ailendolin



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Declarations Of Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Misunderstandings, Season/Series 03 Spoilers, Trauma, post-season 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-18 03:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21720946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ailendolin/pseuds/Ailendolin
Summary: Spoilers for season 3You could have died!Gren signed with harsh, erratic movements, his hands trembling with emotions he could barely suppress.You could have died, Amaya, and you’re smiling about it!After the battle, Gren and Amaya have words about what happened at the Breach.
Relationships: Amaya & Callum & Ezran (The Dragon Prince), Amaya & Gren (The Dragon Prince), Amaya & Janai (The Dragon Prince), Amaya/Gren (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 51
Kudos: 131





	You matter to me

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by a prompt from the lovely [natureleylines](https://natureleylines.tumblr.com/) over on my [Gremaya post](https://ailendolin.tumblr.com/post/189385733390/more-gremaya/) on tumblr: "After the whole climax of season 3. Gren can get mad at Amaya for blowing up the breach. He is mad because she is more important than to just throw away her life like that. But it is also soft because he loves her and being Gren, shows his emotions right then and there."
> 
> I tried my best and I hope you're going to enjoy this, natureleylines!
> 
> As always, a little warning: I'm not a native speaker so don't hesitate to point out any mistakes I made. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own The Dragon Prince and I'm not making any money with this story.

**You matter to me**

Evening was falling and Gren was ready to drop. Tired and exhausted didn’t even begin to describe how he was feeling. The day had been long and the march to Duren and then into Xadia even longer. He felt every step he’d walked the past few days in the aching bones of his body, and all he could think about now that the battle was over and the rush of adrenaline had faded was lying down in some secluded corner and sleep for at least ten hours.

King Ezran and Prince Callum had other plans, though.

They had called a meeting on top of the Storm Spire, to be held in the ante-chamber. Its purpose was to bring everyone up to speed, to use this rare quiet moment where there was no major crisis and no matters that needed urgent attention to make sure everyone was filled in on what had happened on each person’s respective end before the battle.

“That way we can move forward from the same point together,” King Ezran had said with a smile and Gren had quietly agreed, sharing a proud look with Amaya. Her youngest nephew bore the metaphorical crown well.

It didn’t take long to gather the leaders of their troops on top of the mountain. Next to Amaya, Gren stood in a circle of humans, elves and dragons, friends and allies alike. It was an impressive sight to behold, and at the same time humbling to see so many different people who had been fighting against each other for so long stand together side by side now, willing to finally breach the gap between their cultures. Gren looked around, taking in all the faces: to his right were Soren, Opeli, Corvus and Barius the baker who had been loyal to King Ezran all this time and lost so much because of it; next to Amaya stood Janai, the general of the Sunfire Elves, and next to her was Ibis, the Moonshadow Elf who had tried to help the Dragon Queen during her illness; on his left side Queen Aanya stood, her young head held high and her eyes shining with a wisdom beyond her years, and between her and Barius King Ezran, his glow toad Bait, Prince Callum, the young dragon prince Azymondias and Rayla the assassin stood together, forming a unit that had defeated all the odds.

It was the first time they had all come together, not counting the battle against Viren’s army (and Gren tried very, very hard not to think about the dead grotesque bodies of his fellow soldiers, friends and strangers alike, who used to fight side by side with him what seemed a lifetime ago). In their faces Gren could see the same exhaustion he felt pulling him down, but beneath the weariness and fatigue everyone’s eyes were bright and filled with something that had been missing from all their lives’ for far too long.

Hope.

Hope for a better future, hope that they were fighting on the right side of history and, most importantly: hope for peace. In that moment it didn’t matter whether they were elves, humans or dragons – they all had a common goal, a common enemy and they all hoped that today would mark the start of a new beginning

_Judging by the look of things, it just might_ , Gren thought, smiling to himself.

King Ezran, Prince Callum and Rayla were the first to tell their story. They recounted their journey from the very beginning until the moment Corvus found them and they went their separate ways, at which point Corvus, Opeli and Barius picked up the thread. It wasn’t the first time Gren had heard the tale of Viren usurping the throne and his subsequent mobilization of Katolis’s forces to invade Xadia but it still made his blood boil as if it were. Only Soren’s part in it was new to him, and Gren’s heart went out to the young Crownguard and the difficult decisions he’d been forced to make because of his father’s actions. He made a mental note to talk to Soren about it as soon as possible, determined to make sure he knew he had another kind of family right here, willing to help and support him in the days to come.

Queen Aanya was next to recount her tale, beginning with her defiance of Viren’s plans and how first Opeli, Corvus and Barius had found their way to her kingdom, and then Gren a day later with the few loyal soldiers Katolis had left.

“We marched for Xadia at once,” she said, “hoping to intercept Viren before he could do any damage. Sadly, we were too late.”

King Ezran smiled at her. “Don’t worry, you arrived at just the right moment.”

Next, it was Amaya’s turn, and Gren stood a little straighter, ready to interpret for her. She stepped forward and started her story at the place where she had last seen King Ezran and Prince Callum: the Banther Lodge. Used to keeping reports short and precise, she briefly recounted their return to the castle and her subsequent journey alone to the Breach, before cutting straight to the important part.

_Commander Gren rejoined me at the Breach_ , Gren interpreted while carefully keeping track of her hand movements, _and when it became clear we couldn’t hold the passage we decided to block the way. But someone,_ and here Amaya sent Janai a sly look that startled Gren, _cut our lines. In the end we had to blew up the passage manually. As a result I was captured by this one._

Another nod towards Janai, this time accompanied by a fond smile which Janai returned.

Gren frowned. This wasn’t how it happened. Amaya hadn’t been captured – to him, and everyone else she’d left behind, she had died that day. How could she make light of the moment she had sacrificed herself so her battalion could live? How could she look back on that day with fondness when he still remembered her last smile cutting through him like shards of glass? When his chest still ached from the furious beating of his heart as he realized what she was about to do, and when he could still feel the echoes of dread and utter despair beneath his skin, squeezing the breath out of him – remnants of the moment when she vanished behind a wall of molten rock, forever out of reach.

Anger, fueled by an unfathomable grief he didn’t have time to deal with and the exhaustion of a long week, surged up inside him like lava in the face of her careless dismissal of her own deeds and their consequences. He turned sharply towards her, unconsciously stepping between her and Janai. 

_You could have died!_ he signed with harsh, erratic movements, his hands trembling with emotions he could barely suppress. _You could have died, Amaya, and you’re smiling about it!_

Everything around them had gone quiet but Gren didn’t notice. His world had narrowed down to Amaya and the surprised look on her face. She seemed to be taken aback by his words and honestly surprised, something that rarely happened. The step she took towards him was so uncharacteristically cautious and hesitant it would have given him pause if it hadn’t also highlighted the fact that she looked awfully small and vulnerable without her armor. Gren knew she was anything but that. He had seen her fight off three people larger than her at once before – without a weapon and without breaking a sweat, at that – but in that instant the lack of armor only emphasized the fact that she wasn’t as invincible as she liked everyone to believe she was.

_Gren,_ Amaya began with careful hands, _I’m all right. See?_ She raised her arms and slightly turned this way and that as if to show him that she was still in one piece. It felt condescending, as if she were talking to a child who didn’t understand what was going on instead of her best friend who had been with her through thick and thin.

Gren huffed and nodded to her burnt hand. _You call that all right?_

Amaya barely spared her hand a glance. _That was my own fault. I promise you, nothing bad happened to me._

_Nothing bad?_ Gren repeated, the incredulous words so shaky they were barely recognizable. He felt tears of frustration welling up in his eyes. _I watched you die, Amaya! I watched you die and I had to live with that! While you were making friends with the elves I was living a nightmare!_

His chest was heaving even though he hadn’t said one word aloud and his eyes were burning with bitter wetness. Gren wiped angrily at them. The last thing he needed was to cry in front of her and everybody else.

He took a deep, shaky breath that did nothing to calm his nerves and met Amaya’s gaze firmly. _So don’t you dare tell me nothing bad happened. Don’t you dare._

Amaya stood before him, frozen with her mouth opened in a silent _oh_. She looked stricken, and her hands, ready to sign, faltered mid-air. Her expression changed from shock to realization to immeasurable pain so quickly that Gren had felt all the anger that had been boiling beneath his skin just a moment ago drain away like a summer rain until only overwhelming, earthshattering grief was left. He took in her face, her beautiful eyes, the scar on her cheek. Only a few hours ago he’d thought he’d never get to see her again. He’d almost lost her – no, he _had_ lost her, for over a week, and the pain of it still felt so raw it seemed to burn through his veins with every beat of his heart.

The change must have shown on his face because suddenly Amaya was stepping forward and reaching for him, her fingers silently spelling his name. Involuntarily, Gren took a step back. He couldn’t have her touch him right now. If she did, Gren knew he would shatter like glass beneath her hands.

He brought his arms up in front of him to sign a single command, a quiet plea: _Don’t_.

Amaya stopped mid-step. What Gren thought was pain in her eyes before now became pure heartbreak. He took another step back, unable to bear that look on her face. He had hurt her. With one simple word he had caused her pain, something he swore he would never do. His chest tightened and he took a shaky breath in a desperate attempt to keep his emotions under control.

It didn’t work. Ashamed, Gren lowered his gaze when his breathing hitched against his will and the first tears fell. Not wanting to see her pity he whirled around to hurry out of the cave with his head held down. He didn’t look back and Amaya made no move to follow him.

Gren knew he should be happy about that, but her absence only made the grief he felt that much harder to bear. 

* * *

For a moment that felt like eternity, all Amaya could do was stare after Gren. She had never seen her friend like this before. To others, Gren often seemed like someone who wore his heart on his sleeve, but Amaya knew better. Gren only tended to show positive emotions without restraint – happiness, contentment, relief. Negative emotions were another matter entirely. The most Amaya could tease out of him was embarrassment when she refused to censor her thoughts and took him by surprise. But anger, fear and grief? Those Gren usually kept carefully hidden behind his professional smile. That his emotions exploded out of him now, in a room full of people, spoke volumes to the intensity of the turmoil that must have been boiling beneath his surface all day.

Amaya wondered if she should go after him or leave him be. A part of her, the one her heart commanded, urged her to find him and explain why she had glossed over the incident at the Breach the way she had. Callum and Ezran hadn’t needed to know that she had willingly ridden into what she’d thought at the time was certain death. They had already lost so much at their young age. The longer they lived in blissful ignorance regarding their aunt’s own mortality the better.

But in her need to protect her nephews she had hurt the only other person who meant the world to her. In all the years she had known Gren Amaya could count the times she had seen him cry on one hand – and today she’d had to watch him wipe away tears from his eyes not only once but twice in a matter of hours, and all because of her. She felt terrible. His reaction earlier on the battlefield should have clued her in to what was going on with him. Gren had never been one to initiate hugs between them before, always respecting that Amaya was his commanding officer first and friend second, no matter how often she told him that she considered them to be equals. She should have sensed that his desperate hug and the relief he’d tried to hide against her shoulder came from more than seeing her again, free from captivity.

But she hadn’t. Instead of asking him if he was all right, she’d allowed herself to get swept up in the post-battle adrenaline rush and her duties, sparing his well-being no second thought after their hug. Having him by her side again, obviously safe and unharmed, ready to be her Voice once more had been enough to ease her worry – as if his physical presence alone, his familiar smile and kind eyes, were all that mattered.

It was only now that Amaya realized how selfish that was. Gren was so much more than just her interpreter. He was her best friend – the one person who knew her better than anyone, the only one she trusted with her life. Why hadn’t she asked him about what had happened to him after the Breach? How could she not have made sure he was okay?

Looking towards the exit of the cave, Amaya felt a lump form in her throat. She wanted to go after him but the guilt over her actions and the memory of his _Don’t_ rooted her to the spot. While her heart longed to set things right her head told her to give him time. She knew Gren. She knew he needed to sort through his emotions first before he could regain some measure of composure – before he could even be remotely ready to deal with this mess she had created. After everything that had happened today and over the past week giving him a little time to calm the storm inside of him was the least Amaya could do. She’d been too careless with his feelings in the past. That was a mistake she refused to make again.

So Amaya took a deep breath and put the mask of General Amaya firmly in place. She turned her back towards the entrance and her heart’s longing and looked at Callum, trusting him to interpret for her in Gren’s absence. _Let’s make this quick._

_What about Commander Gren?_ Callum asked. His eyes darted between her and the entrance, looking unsure.

Amaya shook her head. _Later._

Callum looked like he wanted to argue but Amaya didn’t give him a chance to voice his concerns. Her hands were a flurry of motions as she gave a brief account of her time spent as prisoner of the Sunfire Elves, with Janai adding information whenever it was necessary. Amaya made sure not to go into too much detail about the death of the Sunfire Queen. It was bad enough that she had dredged up a whole load of painful memories for one friend already today. If she could spare Janai the same fate she would.

The moment she was finished Amaya excused herself. She could feel the concerned looks of her friends and family on her back as she walked out of the chamber but no one followed her. She was glad about that. This was her problem to fix. She had screwed up and only she alone could make it right again – and for that she needed to figure out which way Gren had gone: up or down?

Amaya paused, taking in the steps that led to the peak of the Storm Spire. The wind was ruffling through her hair and for a brief moment she closed her eyes, centering herself. Under normal circumstances, she was certain Gren would have gone up. He liked high places and the breathtaking views they offered.

_There’s freedom up here_ , he once told her during a training exercise in the mountains, a small content smile on his face. _A kind of freedom you can’t find anywhere else; one that lets you breathe deeply and find peace for yourself._

But today hadn’t been normal by any standards. Amaya was sure that high peaks and the freedom and peacefulness they provided weren’t what Gren had been looking for when he’d left the meeting earlier.

She opened her eyes and turned towards the path leading down the mountain. She could almost imagine Gren stumbling down the numerous steps in a hurry, looking for a place to hide – because that was what he tended to do whenever he was truly upset about something: hide away until he felt better or at least good enough to pretend he did. It always started with an uncharacteristic quietness. Gren’s smile would dim minute by minute until it flickered out completely. He would only say the bare minimum of what was necessary – no idle conversation, no jokes, nothing but straight to the point. Without anyone noticing he would silently fade into the background until, suddenly, Amaya would realize that he was gone, leaving her worried and wondering where he was.

Today, Gren might not have disappeared quietly, but he’d still run away to hide and Amaya was sure he had not gone up the mountain to find solace. Her decision made, she turned towards the steps leading down. Unhindered by her armor and shield she leapt down the stairs two, sometimes three steps at a time in order to catch up with him. The sooner she found him, the sooner she could fix what she had broken.

In the end she needn’t have hurried.

Gren hadn’t gone far, whether because he couldn’t or didn’t want to Amaya didn’t know. It only took her two, maybe three minutes before she spotted his familiar figure in a little hollow in the mountainside. He was sitting on the ground and had his arms wrapped around his legs, pulling them close to his chest. His chin was resting on his knees and he was staring out into the night, a solemn, exhausted expression on his face. He made no indication that he had heard her approach. Even in the pale moonlight his red hair stood out against the dark rocks behind him. Compared to earlier he seemed calm and collected though the faintly glimmering wet trails on his face told a different story. The sight made Amaya’s heart ache. She stopped, not knowing how to approach. This was a Gren she had never seen before – a Gren who had been brought to his knees because of her and hadn’t yet found the strength to pull himself up again.

Without removing his gaze from the sky, Gren slowly unwrapped one of his arms from his knees. _You can come closer_ , he signed, surprising Amaya.

Carefully, she stepped down the rest of the stairs until she reached him. She hesitated briefly – an unfamiliar feeling around him – before cautiously sitting down next to him, making sure there was at least a hand’s width of space between them.

_Is this okay?_ she asked.

Gren nodded, still not meeting her eyes. Amaya mirrored his pose and stared out into the vastness of the sky in front of them, hoping to see whatever he was looking at on the seemingly endless firmament. The stars here were the same as they were at home and maybe they brought him the same comfort now they had brought her in Lux Aurea those past few days. She hoped they did.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Amaya saw Gren’s shoulders drop with a sigh. His next words, signed single-handedly in front of him, took her aback. _I’m sorry_.

Amaya turned her head sharply towards him, the sky and the stars forgotten. _You have nothing to be sorry for. I should be the one apologizing._

Gren shook his head. _I shouldn’t have snapped at you, and I shouldn’t have run away._

Amaya couldn’t believe what she was seeing. _Gren_ , she signed but his hands kept moving, as if he didn’t know how to stop now that he had started talking.

_It’s just – how can you talk like that about your own life, about the sacrifice you made? Like it was no big deal. Like it didn’t even matter._ He looked up at her then and his blue eyes, darkened by the night sky, were brimming with tears once more. _It did, Amaya. It did matter, all right? It mattered to me._ You _matter to me, more than anyone else in the world and–_

He stopped abruptly, and a blush darkened his cheeks when he realized what he’d said. He looked away in shame and all Amaya could do was blink at him, shocked into silence. Had she read that right? Had he really just …?

_I’m sorry_ , Gren hurried to say and Amaya was really getting tired of seeing his hand make that particular sign. _You don’t need to hear this. You’ve got Janai and–_

It was the mention of the Sunfire Elf that prompted Amaya into action. She raised her hand, effectively stopping him, and signed _, Janai is my friend._

Gren’s lips twitched in a sad attempt at a smile. It held no happiness, only sorrow, and it broke Amaya’s heart. _I saw you two holding hands. I’m happy for you._

Amaya’s eyes widened in realization when she saw his words. _I think there’s been a misunderstanding._

_It’s okay,_ Gren signed before she could say more. _You of all people deserve to be happy. Just,_ _promise me one thing?_ he asked, hesitating. _No more heroics, okay? No more sacrificing yourself. You matter too much for that – to your family, to Janai..._ His sad smile flickered like a candle in the winter wind. _To me ... So next time, if it ever comes to that, don’t be the hero. Let me ride into the fire instead._

His words hit Amaya with the force of a swinging blade. They burned through her flesh and bones like Sunfire magic and straight into her heart. Even the mere thought of him sacrificing himself for her was unbearable. She’d rather cut off her own arm then see him come to harm. Was this how he had felt when he watched her ride into danger a week ago? Helpless, shocked and unable to comprehend what was happening? Numb in a terrifying way because he had to stand by and watch, powerless, as he lost what was most precious to him?

She remembered his words from earlier: _While you were making friends with the elves I was living a nightmare._

Amaya had her fair share of those. She still fought with the demons of her sister’s death even after all these years. Something like that, losing someone you held dear – it never left you. The experience stayed with you, left its mark, and dug its claws so deep into your soul it scarred you for life.

She saw those same scars on Gren now – in the way he held himself, the way he looked at her with too bright eyes, and in his trembling hands that had never been unsteady before. He was shivering, trying not to fall apart under all the grief and sorrow he’d faced this past week because of her.

_Please, Amaya_ , he signed desperately, pulling Amaya from her thoughts. She had been quiet for too long. _Promise me you’ll let me go in your stead. Don’t make me watch you die a second time. Please. I can’t go through that again._

His shoulders began to shake, then, and even though Amaya couldn’t hear him she knew he was trying his hardest to stifle his sobs. In the end, he lost the fight and what followed was the most painful thing Amaya had ever been forced to watch. With one last agonized, ashamed look at her Gren buried his head in his knees and began to cry. His shoulders heaved like rolling waves in a storm, driven by an impossibly furious force, and his fingers clawed at the thin material of his trousers, no doubt leaving aching bruises in their desperate attempt to hold onto something.

This wasn’t the first time Amaya had seen him cry, but it was the first time she had been the reason for it, and that made it so much worse. Here he was, falling apart so utterly and completely because for almost a whole week he’d existed in a world where she’d been dead. Here he was, right next to her, breaking in every way possible because she had brought all the grief and despair he hadn’t known how to deal with back to the surface with just a few careless words.

Seeing him like this now was so much worse than that night after his first battle when he’d been so numb with shock and horror he hadn’t even noticed he was crying. It was worse than the time she’d woken up after taking a blade to the stomach and found him crying over her, looking like he was on the brink of death himself. None of their darkest memories of the past could compare to this moment right now, not even that cursed day when they had been sent to a village close to the border and found it’s school burning with dragon fire, children still inside.

Amaya shuddered. How had Gren carried all this grief inside him for the last week? Where had he found the strength to go on despite it all? How had he walked all the way to Duren and then across Xadia without breaking apart under the strain of loss? Not for the first time Amaya couldn’t help but think he was the bravest and strongest person she knew. If only he could see himself the way she did. If only he realized that to her he mattered, too.

She had no way of telling him right now, not with his eyes hidden against his legs, but she could still show him. With a gentleness she only reserved for a very few selected people in her life Amaya wrapped her arms around him. He tensed at first but when she rested her forehead gently against his temple he let out a shuddering breath and melted against her, allowing her to bear his full weight. This wasn’t like their usual hugs – those were always motivated by relief, happiness or reassurance and ended in a matter of seconds. No, this embrace they shared right now was so much more. It was full of love and comfort, telling him without words that it was okay to let go, that there was no shame in it. Her hands, gently stroking his back, showed him quietly that she was there for him and always would be, for better or worse.

She let him cry until no more tears would come, anchoring him to this world with the warmth of her body and the beating of her heart. When Gren finally raised his head again and wiped his eyes on his sleeve Amaya couldn’t help but smile at him fondly and lift one of her hands to brush back the messy hair from his forehead. Her other arm stayed firmly around his back, silently reassuring him that she had no intention of going anywhere.

_You know_ , she began to sign single-handedly when he had regained some of his composure, _for someone who’s job it is to watch my every move you are quite blind._

Gren sniffed and tilted his head to the side in confusion. _What do you mean?_

Amaya reached for one of his hands. His eyes widened when she raised it to her lips and pressed a kiss against his knuckles. _You matter to me, too, Gren. More than anyone else in the world._

“What?” he breathed out loud, forgetting to sign in his surprise.

Amaya smiled at him before letting go of his hand. There was something she still had to do before she took this further, some words that couldn’t be left unsaid. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she began to sign. _I’m sorry for what I’ve put you through this last week, and I’m even more sorry I didn’t ask you if you were all right earlier._

_It’s okay. Things were pretty busy_ , Gren replied with a little self-deprecating shrug.

_No_ , Amaya signed, shaking her head to emphasize her point. _I should have taken the time. You were distraught and I dismissed that and that – that is inexcusable. I am so sorry about that, Gren. I never meant to make you think that I don’t value my own life. The way I spoke at the meeting was only for Callum and Ezran’s sakes. They don’t need to hear about their aunt almost dying so soon after losing their father._

Realization dawned on Gren’s face. _That … actually makes sense._

Amaya smiled sadly. _But it doesn’t make it right. I should have talked to you before we gathered in the chamber. You deserved to be the first to hear my story, and to hear it all._

For a brief moment Gren hesitated. _Will you tell me now?_

Amaya nodded. Resting her cheek on his shoulder she let her hand tell the story of the last week. She didn’t gloss over any detail, didn’t leave out anything the elves did and didn’t do to her, and only finished when hers and Gren’s pasts converged. In return he told her about what had happened to him after the Breach, spinning a tale of grief and loss, and of an iron will that allowed him first to travel to Duren and then across Xadia.

_I thought I’d never see you again and suddenly there you were, fighting side by side with Sunfire Elves. I couldn’t believe my eyes._

_What can I say?_ Amaya signed with a dismissive shrug. _They’re not that bad. They grew on me._

Gren leaned back a little to look at her, a vulnerable expression on his face. _Janai …_ he began hesitantly.

Amaya shook her head, intent on putting a stop to his doubts right then and there.

_It’s always been you,_ she signed slowly, making sure he caught every single word because this was important. This was the moment they had both been waiting for for so long, the one momentous occasion in her life she couldn’t mess up, so she met his eyes, held his gaze for a heartbeat, and nodded once. _Only you._

_Really?_ He looked surprised and a little uncertain, as if not daring to hope; as if this was all a dream he would wake up from any moment now only to realize that she was still gone, either lost to fire or happy with someone else.

Amaya wanted to wipe that uncertainty from his face. She knew words wouldn’t be enough, not right now, not after what he had seen in the dragon cave, so she put his worries to rest by leaning forward and pressing her lips to his.

Gren’s whole body relaxed as if years of hardships and suffering were falling away from him. When she pulled back his eyes shone brighter than any star possibly could.

_Really_ , Amaya repeated.

He looked at her in wonder, and his smile was more gentle than she’d ever thought possible. It was so full of love that for a moment Amaya forgot how to breathe. She felt like she could drown in his gaze, and she wanted him to look at her like that for the rest of their lives.

His eyes fell to her lips and when he leaned forward without hesitation to bring their lips together once more Amaya couldn’t help but smile. She raised her hands to cradle his head in her hands, deepening the kiss. Beneath her fingertips she felt the softness of his hair, and his beard scratched lightly against her palms where she touched his cheeks.

They parted again, and when Gren leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers Amaya felt her heart jump at the tenderness of the gesture. She couldn’t hear the words he whispered against her skin but she understood him perfectly anyway. With a smile, she let one of her hands fall to his chest and there, right over his heart, she lowered her middle and ring fingers to touch her palm, saying the sacred words back to him before meeting him in another kiss.

She felt Gren smile against her lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading and thanks again to natureleylines for giving me this prompt! It was supposed to be only a little snippet and then turned into 5,000 words of Gremaya hurt/comfort and fluff. I regret nothing *g*
> 
> If anyone of you wants to send me prompts, please do so! I already have ideas for at least three more Gremaya fics (one of which I'm hoping to write until New Year's, so look out for that) but I'm always willing to expand that list. Also, I made a [Gremaya post](https://ailendolin.tumblr.com/post/189385733390/more-gremaya/) on tumblr a few days ago for this sort of thing as well, so you could either leave a prompt here in the comments or over there. The post is also meant to try and see how many Gremaya fans would be interested in joining a discord for example, or doing a fic/art exchange. 
> 
> And finally: In this house we don't say "I love you", we say "You matter to me" and I think that's beautiful ;)
> 
> Have a great day wherever you are!


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